Hey, Princess
by F-M Fan
Summary: Mei is a world-famous actress. In order to film her latest movie, Mystery Doors of the Magical Land, she travels to Aspertia City. Hugh is the local kindergarten teacher who seems to live under some kind of rock. AU, sequelshipping


**Disclaimer:** I own nothing, and it haunts me every day.

Chapter One: _We're Not in Castelia Anymore_

Today was a _bad_ day.

The sun was nowhere to be found, and the sky was a dull, flat gray. Mei honestly did not know what happened. Everything started out so well, and she had been looking forward to being in Aspertia City for the first time.

Compared to Castelia, Aspertia was definitely small. The trees outnumbered the buildings, and all in all there were only about a thousand citizens.

When she wasn't out cold in the passenger's seat of her manager's car, her face was glued to the window, her hands pressed on either side of her head. Amazed "oohs" and "ahs" left her lips every so often, and her manager would just shake his head, only faintly amused.

After spending the majority of her life in bustling, larger-than-life Castelia, she couldn't help but find wonder in the simpler things in life. The peace and quiet, the fresh air, the startling lack of crowds—all of it was incredibly different, but in a new, refreshing way that she found absolutely delightful.

"Cheren!" She exclaimed, breaking a long period of comfortable silence. Said man nearly jumped in his seat, and with an exasperated sigh, glanced quickly at the young woman.

"What is it?" He asked. His tone was curt as ever, but after years of working together, Mei knew that her manager was a big softy.

"Are we almost there?" Mei had only asked about five times since they arrived in the city, and to be honest, she was a little proud of herself.

"Actually, ye—"

"Oh my gosh! I think I see them!"

Bouncing in her seat, her thick hair bobbed as she rolled down the window and stuck her head out. "Biancaaaa!" She called, laughing as she spotted a familiar green hat. At the sound of her name, a young blonde woman turned around and searched frantically for the person who called her.

As the car slowly pulled to a stop right by the set, Mei threw her door open and bounded out. Heaving yet another sigh, Cheren pocketed his keys, and followed the actress out. He was all too used to her excitement, and he knew all the scolding in the world would do nothing to change it.

"Mei!" Bianca grinned as the brunette threw her arms around her, hugging her tight. Returning the embrace, she looked over her shoulder, and gave Cheren a small wave. "You guys made it!"

Mei laughed, rubbing the back of her neck as she flushed lightly. "Sorry we're so late…" She said, smiling sheepishly as Bianca pulled her into her trailer, and pushed her into the makeup chair. Cheren let the girls go, and went off grumbling, hoping to appease the director who was most certainly throwing a fit of epic proportions.

"Aw, don't worry about it," the blonde said, "as long as you do your best out there, the director won't be too mad."

"I hope so," Mei stared into the mirror as Bianca undid her hair and proceeded to fix her up for the day. Two other women, Bianca's assistants, hovered over her as well, quickly applying makeup and getting her costume ready.

"You know what, Bianca?" She said, swinging her legs as she tried to keep from fidgeting in the chair.

"Hm?" The blonde had her eyes set on Mei's hair, her tongue poking slightly out from the corner of her mouth. The actress knew she wasn't paying attention. In times like these, when Bianca was "in the zone," she could go on for hours without realizing what was happening around her. But Mei didn't mind. She went on.

"I have a good feeling about today." She smiled at her reflection. "A _really _good feeling."

**~HMHMHM~**

"_Aargh!_" Mei glared at the sky as thunder shook the air, slowly but surely, the rain started to _pour._ She stood underneath a tree, holding her arms above her head as she struggled to keep dry, but it was all useless.

Her bubblegum-pink dress was about three times wider than she was, and stuck out from underneath the scanty shelter the tree provided. The pristine, white ruffles that garnished the hem of her dress were now a disgusting shade of brown, dragging across mud each time she so much as shifted her weight. Despite all her efforts, she was soaked to the bone. Her once bouncy curls stuck to her skin, along with the thick material of her costume.

Mei was cold, and her costume was incredibly heavy, and she was honestly regretting ever leaving the set.

After filming the first few scenes, she practically begged Cheren to let her explore the city. The set was just outside the city, and a quick walk would take her into the very heart of Aspertia.

Cheren was about to say no when Bianca quickly cut in, and said that the director had allowed the actors to take a break.

Reluctantly, her manager finally said yes, but just as he was about to accompany her off the set, she ran off. She loved Cheren; truly, he was like a brother to her. But he was absolutely no fun.

And now here she was. About two hours later, lost and stuck in the rain. She was torn between tearing her hair out in frustration and breaking down into tears. "How could I get lost?" She kicked at the mud, only to yelp as it nearly swallowed up her shoe. "It's such a small place…" She had been so caught up in the new sights and the new people.

Wearing her costume, she attracted people like moths to a flame. Meeting fans was always a fun experience for her, one that she wouldn't trade for the world. The adorable children and the kind citizens made the time fly by, and by the time the last fan walked away, she honestly had no idea how long it had been. When Mei decided to return to the set, it was then that she realized that she had absolutely no idea how to get there.

"No wonder Cheren never lets me do anything…" She dropped her head and sighed.

Suddenly, as if things weren't bad enough, the thunder grew louder and the rain started falling even harder.

Mei searched the area frantically, trying to find anywhere that would provide some refuge from the storm. Her eyes lit up as she caught sight of something, and she ran toward it as well as her shoes would allow.

What she found was a large slide in the shape of a jolly, yellow mouse. Its vibrant color attracted her eye instantly to the playground, and as she moved closer, she figured it would have to do. Other than the playground, she saw nowhere else to go, and so she crouched underneath the slide as best as she could, what with the huge dress and all.

Wrapping her arms around the skirt, she tried to gather as much material underneath the slide as she could. The rain didn't seem like it was going to stop any time soon, and all she could hope for was that Cheren was out there looking for her.

Resting her cheek against her knees, she hugged herself tighter. She shivered as the cold started to seep in. She just knew she was going to get sick. Oh, she hated getting sick. Cheren never left her alone, and he spent the whole time yelling at her.

She shut her eyes, and wished the rain was would stop already. Why did it have to be like this? Was it because she showed up late?

"If it stops raining right now, I'll never show up late to work ever again!" She yelled.

"If I help you out, will you stop screaming?"

At the sound of the deep, unfamiliar voice, she jumped. She yelped as her head hit the underside of the slide, and she quickly turned around to see who the voice belonged to.

Standing behind her was a tall, young man. His dark hair was wild, spiking up in different directions. His red eyes stood out against his pale skin, and his lips were set in a firm line. He wore a red and white jacket and jeans, and in his hand was a clear plastic umbrella.

Mei nearly shrank underneath his intense stare. His eyes were unwavering, and she felt as if they were looking right _into _her. She fidgeted uncomfortably, and she looked up at him with a wary gaze.

"Oh, you're gonna look at me like _I'm_ the weirdo?" He scoffed. "Hey, lady, I'm not the one hiding under a slide dressed like cotton candy."

She sputtered indignantly. "I'm supposed to be a _princess._"

"Yeah, whatever," He rolled his eyes. "Look, there are kids around here. You can't go around screaming and all that. You'll just freak everyone out." He held his hand out to her. "Now do you want my help or not?"

Glaring at him, she reluctantly reached out, and placed her hand in his. He tugged her to her feet, and pulled her under his umbrella.

**~HMHMHM~**

The rude stranger told her he would take her to a restaurant nearby. Other than that, he didn't say much at all. He didn't ask any questions, and although Mei was thankful for that, it bothered her that he didn't seem to know who she was. Not even a little bit.

"Uh, hey—" She started.

"We're here." He said, stopping abruptly.

They stood in front of the restaurant, a small, cozy place in the middle of the city. Mei remembered it from earlier. She passed by it on her way from the set. The playground wasn't far from the restaurant at all, and she still managed to get lost. She flushed a bright pink, and was about to start wallowing in self-pity when the stranger's voice cut in.

"They'll let you call someone in there." And with that, he turned around, and went back the way he came.

She watched his retreating back, her mouth slightly agape. The urge to yell, _that's it?!, _came and went until she remembered just how much trouble she'd be in, and rushed into the restaurant.

Relief washed over her as she walked in, and was greeted with the sight of a mostly-empty restaurant. She couldn't even think about dealing with a horde of fans at this time. After politely asking for the phone, she called Cheren. Mei had never been so happy to be yelled at in her life.

Cheren had been driving circles around the city searching for her, and was both furious and relieved that she turned up at the restaurant he'd passed around five or so times.

When he showed up five minutes later, she ran outside and threw her arms around him.

He hugged her back, but she was still in trouble. Partly for making everyone worry and wasting a whole day of filming, and partly for ruining his suit.

End of Chapter 1

**A/N:** I never expected to get pulled into sequelshipping…but after just finishing the game, I am _hooked._ I think it's an adorable pairing, and I wanted to contribute something to it. (I know I have other fics to update, but this really caught me, and I'm sorry to my other readers but I'll try and update those fics as soon as possible!) Anyway, for the people who read this chapter, thank you so much for your time!

I don't know whether or not I want to continue this, so please leave a review for me and tell me what you thought! I tweaked the city a lot for the story, and I'm pretty sure a lot of things in this story don't exactly make sense… But I've been up for twelve hours, and I needed to get this out before I lost it.

Again, thank you so much for reading! Please let me know what you thought of it.


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